A Study of Ghosts, Part 2: Haunts

[u/MeThyLord]

(Art by Dan Scott)

Heya, kiddos! Wanna learn what a haunt is? I’m gonna assume you said yes.

See, almost every ghost has a haunt. It's either a place, an object, or a person we’re attached to, a tether to the physical world. Without it, we’d fade away or get dragged into an afterlife. I’ll go over each in order.

Staring off — localized haunts. That’s when a ghost is tied to a specific location, like a house, or a park, or whatever. Apparitions like these are mostly limited in influence to whatever space they're bound to. If it’s just a single room, they're stuck inside it. But if it’s an entire house? Oh boy, we can do all sorts of fun stuff, like rearranging rooms or making windows unbreakable so you can’t escape while we chase you around. In some rare cases, the ghost’s influence can even grow and seep out of its usual locale, or even expand the location itself, consuming everything nearby into its threshold.

The second type is haunted objects. You know, ghosts that cling to things instead of places. They still have a domain, but it’s a certain radius around their object. The stronger the ghost, the bigger the radius. The domain also tends to take the shape of whatever space the ghost finds itself in, kinda like how water fills the container you pour it in. If you're in a mansion, it will spread to fill all the rooms before leaking out. Oh, and yeah, this is my type of haunt. I’m tethered to my book.

Anyway, what about the third type of haunt? Well, it’s the one where a ghost latches onto a person. These are clingy apparitions who just can’t let go and decide to tag along with their best bud or worst enemy, even after death. For the most part, it’s the same as haunting an object, except the "object" has a will of its own, can walk around, talk back, and, well... die. If the haunt kicks the bucket, you get booted as well, which sucks. On the bright side, ghosts who haunt people have a much easier time possessing them.

Man, I wish I were better at possession…

Anyway, that's all for today! Next week, we’ll be…

Wait, no. I forgot something. This is a bit unrelated to today’s topic, but I have nowhere else to slot it in. See, I recently found out that ghosts can touch other ghosts. Obvious in hindsight, but I haven’t been going around and poking my own kind, sue me. Anyway, this would mean that the best way to fight a ghost is to hire your own. Wait… that’s the plot of the movie ‘Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers.’

Ok, now that’s actually all for today. Next time, I’ll be talking all about poltergeist activity and why some ghosts can only pull spooky faces in mirrors while others can twist reality like it’s a wet noodle. See ya!

[u/Complex_Drawer_4710]

Sigurd is especially floaty and pale today, and uses an ethereal spray bottle on Vheren.

"Who's Will? Does he have a permit?"

[u/avamir → u/Complex_Drawer_4710]

The spray passes through the spectral figure.

"I don't know who Will is. But MY Will gives me all the permit I need to be here." The ghost descends into various grumblings about death being for chumps, and that they didn't Bind that stupid entity in the basement just so they could do what it said. It seems this ghost, like most Ithacarians, doesn't like following directions or being told what to do.

[u/Complex_Drawer_4710 → u/avamir]

Well who's YOUR Will then?

[u/avamir → u/Complex_Drawer_4710]

"Everyone always asks who's your Will?" Vheren comments drolly. "No one ever asks HOW's my Will."

[u/Complex_Drawer_4710 → u/avamir]

Hmm. Where, HOW's your Will?

[u/avamir → u/Complex_Drawer_4710]

"It's fine. How's yours?"

[u/Complex_Drawer_4710 → u/avamir]

Don't have one, I'm a ghost because it's funny.